


Synthesis of Feelings

by xxoceanswavesxx



Series: New Friends for Marinette AU [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug, アトリエ | Atelier & Related Fandoms
Genre: Adrien is mentioned but will not appear, Adrien rejects Marinette, Also best girls Gillian and Liese, Backwarder Salt, Eventual Confession, Friendship, Marinette gets some advice on her crush, My boy KILLbert is here, New Friends for Marinette AU, Other, Puppeteer 2 salt, SPOILERS but Marinette gets rejected, Silly schenanigans still ensue, Starts off from Annie's POV, but at least she has a better idea of what to do, in case you wanted a fic where Marinette ISN'T humiliated while being rejected, ml s3 salt, ml salt, ml salt au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2019-11-13 06:39:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18026669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxoceanswavesxx/pseuds/xxoceanswavesxx
Summary: Marinette wants to confess her feelings to Adrien, but always struggles to talk to him. When she goes to her alchemist friend, Annie, for advice, the results might not end up being what she expects.





	1. Synthesis of Courage

Tearing off another request from her corkboard, Annie sighs as she reads over the contents. Another set of bombs were being asked by Kenner for the Theme Park, but now he wanted them to be gold. Normally, Annie doesn’t mind such since making the supplements for traits is easy and quick, but she just synthesized a batch the other day and just happened to be missing materials for gold.

 

She sighs again. “Ugh, I guess I have to-”

 

She’s interrupted by a sudden knock at the door. Without second thought, she says, “Come in!” Just as quickly, the door flies open, and Marinette rushes inside, panting as if she just ran a marathon. “W-Woah! Are you okay?”

 

“Ugh, Annie,” she cries in between breaths, “It’s just the worst! I could just die!”

 

“Hey, hey, it’s gonna be okay!” Annie says, practically flailing her arms, “Is it a monster? I can just get Gillian and-”

 

“I wish,” Marinette gasps, “No, it’s nothing like that. I just…” she groans, “I embarrassed myself in front of my crush!”

 

Oh. That. Not that Annie doesn’t feel for the girl, but she doesn’t exactly have the greatest insight into romance. Still, judging from the panic on Marinette’s face, she really needs someone to hear her out and calm her down.

 

“Are you okay?” she offers weakly. When Marinette quickly shakes her head no, Annie knows that she’s off to a rough start. 

 

Well, maybe she doesn’t know much about romance or dealing with feelings, but she  _ does _ know how to brew a mean cup of tea. She pulls out a chair that’s been designated as the “Guest Chair” and prepares some water to be boiled. Marinette settles down in the chair, but is gripping the sides and almost shaking.

 

“You don’t understand, Annie,” Marinette groans, “Every time I try to talk to him, my words  _ never  _ come out right! It’s like ‘Low. I-I mean hello! How are you today? The weather is great- er I mean, it  _ would  _ be great if it weren’t raining! Not that train isn’t great! I mean rain!” she sighs, clutching her head in between her hands, “He probably thinks I’m weird.”

 

“I doubt that,” Annie says gently, “I mean, he can probably sense that you feel weird around him, but that’s different from actually thinking that  _ you’re  _ weird. You just need to not feel as weird around him.”

 

“But  _ how  _ do I do that?”

 

Before Annie can answer her question, the door swings open yet again, and a foul odor protrudes the room. It’s a good thing that Marinette is sitting, because if she weren’t, she’d have collapsed to the floor from the wretched smell, just as Annie does.

 

“Heyyy, guys!”

 

Completely oblivious to the atmosphere of the room, Gillian strides into the room, her bottle of herbal juice visibly open. Not that smelling her creations is ever a delight, but today’s combination is even more noticeably horrifying than ever. She can’t even really tell what’s supposed to be in this batch - maybe burnt Beeswax? Hot Chocolate?

 

That shouldn’t ever be a combination  _ anyone  _ contemplates mixing together, no matter how desperate they are to eat healthy.

 

Pinching her nose, Annie responds, “Gillian, I already told you, Pepe banned you from bringing that in here.”

 

“What, this?” she asks innocently enough, holding up the bottle. When Annie nods her head rapidly, Gillian merely laughs, “I don’t really get what he has against herbal juice. It’s  _ soooo _ good for you!” Nonetheless, she manages to gulp down what must be half a container, and the smell quickly dissipates from the room. “So refreshing!”

 

Releasing her nose, Annie sighs. “What are you doing here anyway? Don’t you have work?”

 

“What, me? Nah, I’m on my break!” Her smile is the widest Annie has ever seen it. Stretching out her arms, Gillian takes the time to crack both her shoulders and back. “Ugh, I’ve been working  _ soooo _ hard lately!”

 

“You mean working hard at slacking off?”

 

“Haha, you know me so well Annie!”

 

From the corner of her eye, Annie sees Marinette nodding her head awkwardly. She isn’t sure if she’s ever introduced the two, or if they ever met on their own, so she decides now is the time to take control of the conversation.

 

“Hey, Gillian, have you met Marinette?”

 

“Hmm… Oh, you’re Tom and Sabine’s daughter, right? You live near Fitz?”

 

Laughing awkwardly, she gives a little wave from the corner. “Yup, that’s me.”

 

“Oh, man, they have the best baked stuff on the entire island!” Gillian sighs, no doubt dreaming about what was baking over there now.

 

To be fair, the thought also haunts Annie.

 

But then she sees the look on Marinette’s face, and remembers the reason she’s there.

 

“Say, Gillian, would you happen to have any experience with, um, dealing with… boys?”

 

“Sure,” she says with a slight shrug. “I fight them all the time.”

 

“No… I meant like… having crushes on them?”

 

“Oh, that? Not really.”

 

Annie completely deflates in defeat.  _ Ugh, so much for that. But actually though… _ When she thought about it, it didn’t make any sense. Sure, Gillian has a rather…  _ strong  _ personality to put it bluntly, but she’s hardly unattractive. The purple haired knight takes surprisingly good care of her hair, and her job requires her to stay in top shape. Hours of having to wear her armor and train in the early morning keeps her well-toned, while still managing to remain slender. Her height, while a bit more than the average woman on Sera Island, wasn’t enough to intimidate anyone.

 

And even with her lackadaisical personality and penchant for disgusting herbal drinks, Gillian is boatloads of fun to be around. Anyone who can’t acknowledge that, Annie decides, is not worth having around.

 

“Annie, you look like your brain is about to explode,” Gillian points out, breaking her from her train of thought, “Are boys confusing you that much?”

 

Looking over to a confused Marinette in the corner, Annie sighs yet again. “Not me, actually,” Marinette rapidly shakes her head no, so Annie bites her lip before she can give away any more. “Er, I mean a friend. A friend and not me.”

 

“Oh, you mean Marinette?”

 

The poor designer jumps out of her seat, holding her face in her hands in complete mortification. Annie also can’t stop her panic, slamming her hand against Gillian’s mouth.

 

“ _ You can’t say a word to anyone else _ !” she forces into a hushed whisper.

 

The knight merely laughs, patting Annie on the back. “Come on, Annie. I know it’s not my secret to tell, so I won’t say a word. Now, Marinette,” Gillian says, walking over to her and patting her shoulder, “I may not know much about dating boys, but I certainly know how to talk to them.”

 

Letting out a defeated sigh, Marinette stops jumping about, though she still looks concerned. Her eyes flit about from the window to the door leading into the shop, as if someone else might overhear their conversation and take it all the way to… whoever it is Marinette has a crush on. Annie frowns when she realizes she’s missing this vital information, but decides not to press her on the matter for the time being.

 

“How about talking to them and you completely stammer like an idiot,” Marinette finally says, “Like, every time I try to talk to him, word mush just comes out of my mouth, or I’ll say the wrong word at the wrong time and ughhh, it’s so embarrassing!”

 

“So when you’re around him, you get easily flustered and embarrassed?”

 

“Basically.”

 

Gillian nods her head a couple of times, wrapping her fingers around her chin. Annie recognizes the gesture. She started copying it from Kilbert to make herself seem like she was deeper in thought than it seemed. Of course, knowing the two of them, the solution they had in mind wasn’t going to turn out too great.

 

“Maybe you’re just not eating properly. You get nervous because you don’t have enough energy. But if you eat and drink properly, you’ll have the right fuel, you know?”

 

An awkward pause hangs over the room, as Marinette and Annie exchange a look. Marinette can only laugh in confusion as Annie sighs, preparing for the inevitable follow-up to that piece of advice.

 

“I eat plenty though,” Marinette points out, “My parents are always packing me enough food for lunch, and my breakfast and dinner portions are fitting of a baker’s daughter. Not to mention all the snacks they are willing to make.”

 

“Well, then it’s gotta be  _ what  _ you’re eating!”

 

“Gillian, if this is going to be a plug for your medical juice, I’m going to have to stop you right there,” Annie interrupts, “We want Marinette to be able to talk to a boy, not move on toward the light before she’s even 15.”

 

“ _ What _ ?” Gillian chuckles, patting Annie on the back, “Come on, you’re being silly! You drank the medical juice, and you’re perfectly fine! Healthy as can be!”

 

“I wouldn’t exactly call those drinks healthy…” She grumbles underneath her breath, “But I guess you do have a point. Marinette, you do tend to run yourself thin with all of the work you do. You should join me and Fitz at the restaurant from time to time.”

 

“Heheh, see, I knew I had good advice!”

 

Casting Gillian a hard glance, Annie continues, “But for the sake of your well-being, I’m going to advise you  _ not  _ to drink anything Gillian makes.”

 

The knight deflates and pouts in defeat. 

 

“Maybe we should ask a guy about this?” Annie ponders to herself, “Oh, wait, there’s someone that might actually have some insight on this matter. Come on guys, let’s go to the Committee HQ.”

 

Still upset by the medical juice comments, Gillian’s face blanches. “Heheh. Um, maybe you guys should go without me? I mean, I’m feeling  _ sooo  _ tired from all the work I did today-”

 

“You’re slacking off again.”

 

Smiling, Gillian doesn’t nod or shake her head in disagreement.

 

“I mean, I’ll cover for you, but you’re really not good at lying.”

 

“Oh, thank you Annie!” She says, throwing her arms over her, “I’ll wish you lots of luck on your mission to get Mari a boyfriend!”

 

Squeaking, Annie looks up to see Marinette blushing in the corner. Quickly, she races over to the door and moves outside, probably to calm herself down.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t do anything….at all while I’m gone. I guess you can watch the shop.”

 

_ Ah, who am I kidding? _   Annie thinks to herself.  _ She’s probably just gonna nap the entire time I’m gone. Well, can’t say I blame her. I just hope she doesn’t break Pepe’s hammock, hoping to be like Kilbert… _

 

\--

A quick trip down the road and through the Central Plaza brings the two girls to the Committee HQ. Unfortunately, everyone is coming back from their lunch, so the inside of the building is packed with other members pacing back to their office or handling complaints at the desk. 

 

“Man, we really picked a time to come,” Marinette points out, “I don’t think I’ve ever been in here before.”

 

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much. My adviser works here, and he’s pretty good about answering questions. Although I don’t see him anywhere…”

 

Normally, Hans is patrolling the area, speaking to other advisers or taking complaints from visitors. If he’s not, then Annie can expect to find him in his office. But when she knocks on the door, she hears no response and frowns. 

 

“Maybe he’s still on break?” Marinette offers weakly, “He could have gotten out later than normal too, judging by the crowd.”

 

“Ugh, we might have been better off checking the restaurant,” Annie grumbles. Of course, the restaurant would have been just as busy too. And then there was always the off chance that Hans actually went home for lunch. No matter the case, it was clear that she wasn’t going to be running into him until later that day. Retreating from the door, she racks her mind trying to think of the next candidate to speak to to help with Marinette’s problem.

 

Unfortunately, she’s so lost in thought, she can’t stop herself from bumping into someone. At first, she’s confused because she doesn’t see anyone. Even from hearing Marinette’s wince, she wasn’t entirely sure if she even ran into someone. However, when she looks down, everything clicks into place. The petite man with white hair mumbles to himself, readjusting his swirly glasses.

 

“Oh! Daniel!” Annie squeaks, offering her hand to help him up, “Sorry about that! I got lost in thought and wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing.”

 

“It’s okay,” he responds weakly, “I know I don’t have a lot of presence.”

 

“That’s not true,” Annie laughs nervously in response. Truthfully, it was at least partially true, but she already felt bad about how everything unfolded. Before he could press her further on the issue, she turns to Marinette, “A-Anyway! Daniel, have you met Marinette?”

 

Still adjusting his glasses, he takes a moment to study her companion. “Oh, you’re the baker’s daughter, right? Tom and Sabine’s child?”

 

“That’s me,” Marinette says, raising her hand, “Um, it’s nice to meet you, Daniel.”

 

“A pleasure to meet you two. Um, is there something I can help you with?”

 

A light pink tinges her cheeks, and she looks to Annie, eyes hopeful for a way out of this.

 

_ It must be worse than I thought _ .

 

“Well, Daniel, if you don’t mind a personal question… do you ever have problems talking to girls?”

 

“Talking to girls?” he repeats. When Annie only replies with a simple nod, he frowns. “Oh, um, not really. I-I mean, most girls are actually pretty nice to me even when I stumble over my words,” he sighs, “It only seems to be around Mr. Hans that I ever seem to really mess up and get nervous. Oh, I wish I could be as cool as him!”

 

_ Somehow, that answer isn’t totally unexpected _ .  _ Still, I guess it was worth a shot _ .

 

“Why do you ask?”

 

“We were looking to get some advice,” she explains carefully. Not that she doesn’t trust Daniel, but she figures it’s best not to be spilling all of the details, especially to people she’s not nearly as close with. She knows for a fact that Daniel isn’t the vicious type and wouldn’t use the info to blackmail either of them, but it’s for the best this way. Not to mention, she doesn't know if anyone could be listening on their conversation and decide to gossip about it.

 

“Oh, I hope you can get the advice you’re looking for,” he says, “I don’t know if I can be of much further help.”

 

“It’s okay. We appreciate it anyway.”

 

The two leave the hallway and settle near the entrance of the HQ. Frowning, Marinette leans against the door frame, looking up. “I wish I could have talked to him a bit more. I wonder if he has the same sort of problems I do.”

 

“From what you’re telling me, it sure does sound like it,” Annie points out, “But he’s working now anyway, so it’s probably not the best to deter him from his work.”

 

“But… weren’t we coming to meet with your other friend for the same reason?”

 

“Haha, anyway,” Annie exclaims, pointing toward the exit, “Let’s see if we can find anyone else to help us, Marinette!”

 

\--

The Main Plaza is pretty quiet after the post-lunch rush, though in the distance, Annie can hear a rather angry argument going on. Still, she decides not to pay it much mind, instead pondering who the next person the two of them should talk to is.

 

“You sure do know a lot of lively people, Annie,” Marinette comments, breaking the silence, “I think it’s kind of helping my nervousness a bit.”

 

“Oh? How so?”

 

“Um, well…” she bites her lip, “I’m used to stammering and not getting my words out right. I say some of the weirdest stuff when under pressure. I’ve kind of accepted after a while that I was probably just some big weirdo. But seeing everyone so at ease around you and having fun is kind of relaxing.”

 

Annie raises an eyebrow at this. “Oh, I don’t know about relaxing…”

 

“Why do you say-”

 

As if the universe had been listening in on their conversation, Marinette is interrupted by the loud arguing in the distance, as the two parties move closer to the girls. As they get closer, Annie recognizes both the large man in black armor and a giant sword, and the more petite boy in a red adventuring suit and she sighs.

 

“Um, I totally won that last contest! I’m the best!”

 

“No, you’re not! You’re way too slow!”

 

“Eat turtle soup!”

 

“What does that even have to do with this conversation?”

 

“Um, it’s obvious! Turtles are slow! Therefore, if you eat them, you’ll totally be slow, which is what I want!”

 

“That’s not how it works!”

 

The two continue to argue back and forth, not even pausing to acknowledge the two girls. It’s pretty likely in this scenario that during said argument, they managed to wander halfway across town without even realizing it.

 

She curls her lips in at the thought of  _ that  _ being the solution to Beaux’s missing sense of direction. But there are more pressing matters right now.

 

“What are you two doing?” Annie interrupts, “You’re annoying everyone here.”

 

Kilbert gasps, “Annie! Girl I’ve never met before! Tell Beaux that he totally lost that bet against me!”

 

“Hey, you can’t tell people what to say!” Beaux snarls. “Hey, Marinette, you totally saw me win, right?”

 

“She doesn’t know what you’re talking about,” Annie retorts, “What bet?” She groans, “You know what, forget that. Maybe you two can help us settle something.”

 

“Fine,” Kilbert grunts, “I bet I can do it better than Beaux though.”

 

“Can  _ not _ !” Beaux argues. The two of them look like they’re about to go back into their argument, but Annie is quick to cut in.

 

“Just  _ listen _ . Marinette here is looking for some advice concerning boys, and I know you two have plenty to say on that matter.”

 

“That I do!” Kilbert says triumphantly. He also has the audacity to stick his chest out and pound a fist against it. Marinette doesn’t seem the least bit impressed, but whether he realizes that or not, it doesn’t deter him. “I’m glad you could finally come to your best friend, Kilbert the Wise and Powerful, for advice, my old friend!”

 

There’s a burning desire in her to point out that she isn’t his “old” friend - he literally just met Marinette - nor would she consider him wise. But Beaux beats her to the punch.

 

“I’ve yet to see anything wise come out of your mouth.”

 

“What did you say you imbecilic cockroach?”

 

“Enough!” Annie sighs, “Marinette?”

 

She clears her throat, looking to the two men awkwardly. “Um, it isn’t really about  _ boys  _ in general. Just… one specific boy.”

 

“Oh, you mean Adrien?”

 

A pause falls among the group, before quickly dissolving into a variety of reactions. Marinette’s face erupts into a burning red mess, hiding herself away with her hands. Kilbert and Annie look to each other in confusion - Annie certainly doesn’t know any Adrien, and Kilbert doesn’t appear to know him any more than she does. That leaves Beaux, who nods at everyone around him. Apparently, he’s cracked the code.

 

Finally peeking out from her fingers, Marinette barely manages to ask, “H-How did you-”

 

“I just watched the two of you interact,” Beaux answers, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Well,” he pauses to regard Annie and Kilbert, “Anyone  _ else _ .”

 

“Damn you, Beaux!” Kilbert scowls, “You may have won the advantage over me  _ this  _ time, but you won’t win this war!”

 

“To be fair, Adrien isn’t someone you would know off-hand,” Beaux points out, “His dad rarely ever lets him leave his house. I think  _ me  _ knowing him is a twist of fate.”

 

“I never thought I’d hear those words from you,” Annie comments, “But who is Adrien anyway?”

 

This is when Marinette interrupts, clasping both of her hands. “Only the greatest angel gifted to all of humanity! His blonde hair is sunshine and his eyes are the lushest shade of green you’ll ever see,” she sighs, “And he’s so nice too! He gave me his umbrella one day when it was raining after apologizing for a misunderstanding…” she sighs yet again, but it’s heavier and her gaze falls to the ground, “But ever since then, I’ve had problems talking to him without either sounding like an idiot or stammering over every syllable.”

 

Kilbert nods understandingly, his fist over his mouth as he considers every word Marinette has to say. Beaux, on the other hand, frowns and looks up at the sky as he considers the situation. Another silence falls upon them all, and Annie decides to take a seat in front of the fountain. Judging by their expressions, it seems like their conversation is going to go on for a little bit longer.

 

After what seems like forever, Kilbert makes a sound that makes everyone in the peripheral jump up. “Aha! I know what you have to do, Marinette!”

 

“O-Oh?” she asks, slightly annoyed by his movements, “Does it involve not getting a heart attack?”

 

“What? Of course, you won’t be getting any heart attacks,” he clicks his tongue, “After all, you have to live long enough to get a boyfriend. Heart attacks are going to be a pesky obstacle to recover from.”

 

“No, duh,” Annie retorts.

 

“Yes, you don’t need a heart attack,” Kilbert continues, “What you need to conquer your fears is to challenge both yourself and your one true love!”

 

Annie bites her lip. This  _ could  _ be an interesting take.  _ Or  _ it could be Kilbert being himself as per usual. Judging by Beaux’s expression, he’s not too impressed by the direction the conversation is headed, and she can hardly blame him.

 

Of course, Marinette doesn’t know any better, so she studies the adventurer with curiosity. “What do you mean by challenge?”

 

“Exactly what you think it means.”

 

He offers no further explanation, so the three of them sit in contemplation, all staring at each other. More and more, Beaux starts to look less impressed with the adventurer, and Marinette begins to look concerned.

 

Annie isn’t sure she can raise her eyebrow any higher.

 

Realizing they have no idea what he was talking about, Kilbert groans and continues, “The best way to a man’s heart is to demand his attention! Challenge him to take you on a date!”

 

_ Wow, I certainly wasn’t expecting  _ this  _ today. _

 

Beaux frowns. “That's ridiculous. You can’t just go around challenging random people and expect them to like you.”

 

“Is that a challenge, Beaux?” Kilbert exclaims, “I’ll show you!!”

 

Before anyone can stop him, the adventurer dashes around the plaza, demanding everyone he encounters into some sort of contest. Eating, running, holding a handstand, it doesn’t matter. Only one person entertains the motion of a staring contest. The entire time it plays out, Beaux whistles with his hands behind his head, while Marinette takes a seat next to Annie. About two minutes go by, and Kilbert finally makes his way back to them.

 

“Did you see that?” he announces proudly, “ _ I _ just made a new friend! And so you see, Marinette, challenges are definitely the way to get Adrien to like you!”

 

“Um, okay,” Annie says, “What do you have to counter that, Beaux?”

 

“Well, definitely  _ don’t  _ challenge guys to weird contests, unless you know he’s into that sort of thing,” he retorts, “And I don’t think that Adrien is.”

 

“Think? Or  _ know _ ?” Kilbert interrupts.

 

“ _ Hey _ , this is  _ my  _ turn,” Beaux argues, “Stop getting in my way!”

 

“Stop making my advice look pointless!”

 

“This isn’t about you!”

 

Once again, the two begin to bicker, and Annie is looking to tear her hair out. Marinette merely laughs beside her.

 

“I’m sorry about this,” Annie sighs, “I was hoping we could find at least  _ one  _ person to give you decent advice.”

 

Swinging her legs back and forth, Marinette looks up toward the sky, a small smile apparent on her face. “Well, this isn’t exactly ideal, but I can tell all your friends mean well. I’ve at least gotten over that incident from earlier on.” Closing her eyes, she leans her head back and sighs. “Still, I wish there was someone that had a better idea of what to do.”

 

Oh, how Annie wished for the same. She wished  _ she  _ had some sort of advice for Marinette’s situation, and not just wallow in naive obliviousness yet again. Maybe there  _ is  _ someone she knows, though, that can ease Marinette’s anxiety and simultaneously school her in this area. There’s a name at the tip of her tongue, someone that Annie definitely knows would be able to help…

 

Just as she contemplates the matter, Annie spots a familiar red-haired alchemist walking out of one of the shops and through the Square. The argument between Kilbert and Beaux, as well as Marinette and Annie’s exasperation catches her attention, and she approaches the group, studying the interaction the entire time.

 

“Hey Liese.”

 

“Hey girls.” She gestures to the arguing duo behind them. “You want to tell me the backstory behind that?”

 

Looking to Marinette once again, Annie sighs. “We were hoping to get advice for Marinette about talking to a boy she likes. And as you can guess, well, Kilbert and Beaux don’t exactly see eye to eye.”

 

“That’s to be expected. But what made you go to them in the first place?”

 

“Well, we were kinda hoping for a guy’s perspective on the matter, but Hans wasn’t around. And as for Kyle… ugh, I didn’t want to subject Marinette to that.”

 

At the mention of his name, Liese’s eyes narrow. “Good call. Thankfully, I haven’t seen him around as of late,” she sighs, taking a moment to watch the fight between Kilbert and Beaux play out. Satisfied, she returns her attention to Marinette. “So tell me, Marinette, right? What sort of boy problems are you having?”

 

“Oh, um,” she nearly jumps out of her seat when asked the question, “Talking to him, I guess. I-I mean talking to him,  _ for sure _ .”

 

Liese nods, crossing her arms over her chest. “You don’t know what to say and your mind starts racing a million miles per minute, right? And you’re the type to overthink scenarios, aren’t you?”

 

“Woah, you can tell all that just by looking at her?” Annie asks, just as Marinette turns her face away.

 

“It was more of a deduction, but it seems like I was right. I figured from the way you got all jumpy about being asked, but your reactions are confirming it for me,” Liese says gently, “Well, thankfully, you don’t need to do anything extreme to get yourself to feel more comfortable around him.”

 

Marinette blinks. “I don’t?”

 

“Nope. See, back when I lived in the capital, I also had problems talking with people, mostly when it came to negotiations or appearing less… abrasive, let’s just say. So, my friend at the time had me do several roleplay scenarios to learn how to be more charming and flirt better.” A smile sweeps across her face, and she leans forward, her hands framing her face. “Those were good times, I have to admit. Some of the mess ups were pretty embarrassing, but after a while, you start to realize that you know how to have a proper conversation.”

 

“You know, that makes a lot of sense,” Annie says, “Thanks, Liese. That’s the most helpful idea we’ve gotten all day. Of course, I still wouldn’t know how to conduct the roleplay…”

 

“You can leave that to me,” she says with a wink, “Oh, and Annie?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“I’ll be sending the bill to you.”

 

“Wait, what?”

 

Standing up, she laughs, “I’m just joking! I’ll see you girls around!”

 

Still regarding the older alchemist with a hard glare as she walks off, Annie slumps in her seat. “Somehow, I don’t think she was kidding about that…”

 

However, upon seeing Marinette’s relieved expression, Annie can’t help but smile. There’s at least some hope for the two of them going into the situation, and Annie would be willing to pay any price to help out a friend.


	2. Synthesis of Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette wants to confess. Annie tries to help her get advice, with mixed results.

The last couple of months were practically a dream for Marinette. Liese’s willingness to help her roleplay her interactions with Adrien and gain confidence in actually talking to him finally calmed some of her nerves. And as a result, Marinette was actually able to hold conversations with him in passing. Spending time with him was still a struggle, just because his father kept him so busy and unavailable, but she wasn’t willing to give up just yet.

 

But then she comes to a conclusion, one night, one so daunting that she couldn’t possibly sleep. When morning arrives, Marinette rushes over to the Liese’s workshop to blurt out her realization.

 

Only to realize she is out of town for the time being.

 

“Oh no,” she gapes, “Who am I supposed to talk to now?” 

 

The safest place to retreat for the time being is the restaurant, seeing as she was supposed to make a delivery anyway. Breakfast is always a quiet, uninterrupted time anyway, so Marinette might have some time to catch up with Fitz. 

 

As she predicts, there are only two or three patrons seated when she arrives. It’s a perfect time for her, calming her racing heart. She just hopes that she isn’t staring in one particular direction for so long as to give away that something is wrong. After handing off the basket of bread to the chefs, Marinette makes her way over to Fitz, who is seated at a table near the window, eating breakfast.

 

“Mind if I join?”

 

“I guess it’s fine,” she sputters, as if embarrassed by her own answer, “You don’t look too good. Did something happen?”

 

She bites her lip. Looking back at the table, she starts to think that maybe a couple of people caught a glimpse of her inner expression. How often did she do that? Was she that easy to read? The thumping of heart begins to pick up again as she considers the idea that maybe Adrien  _ already _ caught onto her feelings and was deliberately keeping it a secret from her because then it would mean he would have to reject her! How many times during their conversations had little, awkward things like their hands grazing or holding gazes for too long had tipped him off? Had he been planning a rejection speech from the beginning?

 

“Marinette?” 

 

“I didn’t sleep well last night,” she admits, covering her face in embarrassment, “I realized something, and I wanted to tell Liese this morning, but she wasn’t there.”

 

“It’s probably for the best. She would have charged you if your problem was that bad.”

 

Marinette heard stories of Liese’s infamous ploys for money, but the subject never came up once during their sessions. She  _ did  _ recall hearing Liese mention something to Annie, which made her bite her lip. When she ran into her next, Marinette would make sure that she wasn’t paying Liese for the lessons.

 

“I don’t know about that,” Marinette finally says, resting her chin on the counter, “I just know that if I don’t do something about this soon, I’m going to explode. Or embarrass myself in a pretty lame way.”

 

“What is it that you’re so nervous about?” 

 

Fitz is one of the few people Marinette hadn’t told about Adrien yet. Part of her feels bad, because her and Fitz didn’t quite hit it off well at first, and only recently became good friends with her. At the same time, Marinette is still a bit hesitant about telling other people about her crush on Adrien, since she doesn’t know who would gossip about it and get the news all the way back to him.

 

Still, if she is going to be taking this seriously, finally going to tell Adrien how she feels, she needs to say it aloud a few times. Just as her and Liese practiced.

 

“Um, there’s this boy that I like. I want to confess my feelings to him, but we only recently started being able to hang out and stuff. So I’m nervous about messing up and stuff.”

 

“Take me with you,” she says, “If he’s mean to you, I’ll make sure to beat him up.”

 

“I-I don’t think we need to go that far,” Marinette laughs nervously, “Adrien isn’t like that.”

 

Fitz still looks wary, but that changes when she sees someone walking over. “Annie!”

 

On cue, Annie walks in carrying a basket, settling down at the counter. Marinette can’t help but be envious of her mood - cheery without a care in the world. If there’s one thing Marinette has been told plenty of times throughout her life, is that she was consistently optimistic and believed too much in good to really let anything get her down. But looking over at Annie, she’d have to say she met her match. It didn’t even seem like there were any problems Annie had to deal with.

 

_ Well, maybe that’s not entirely accurate. There  _ is  _ Pepe. And her grandfather. _

 

But before she can dwell on that thought for too long, Annie goes to make conversation. “Hey Fitz! Oh, Marinette,” she greets, “I don’t usually see you around here. You’ve been pretty busy lately, right?”

 

“I’m usually here first thing in the morning to make a delivery,” Marinette explains, fidgeting with the silverware, “I just finished actually, and was going to go talk to Liese, but, um, I couldn’t find her.”

 

“Yeah, Liese had to go out of town to do some gathering,” Annie says, “She shouldn’t be too long. Is something wrong?”

 

“I-I wouldn’t say that…”

 

“Really?” Annie asks. With her eyes narrowed and her gaze fixated on Marinette, studying every little change in her expression, Marinette can’t help but falter to Annie, just a bit. Still she refuses to say anything. Catching on, Annie sniffles, “Do… Do you not trust me?”

 

“C’mon, stop it with the fake tears,” Marinette moans, biting back a laugh, “It’s not  _ that.  _ It’s just kind of embarrassing.”

 

“Oh, so it’s about Adrien?”

 

Both girls are startled as Marinette’s hand reaches to cover up Annie’s mouth. Muffling through her hand, Annie squirms a bit and lets out a sigh.

 

“W-What was that?”

 

“I’m sorry!” Marinette cries, “I just panicked! I didn’t want everyone in the restaurant to know!”

 

“Um, hate to break it to you, but basically everyone  _ except  _ Adrien knows,” Annie points out, “At least, from what I’ve been hearing from you and Liese.”

 

Slumping in her seat, Marinette ponders whether or not this is actually a good thing. Would Adrien knowing and waiting for her to confess make things easier on her? Or was him being oblivious to her feelings a mercy disguised as a curse? Her heart begins to pick up speed breaking down both scenarios, and she clutches the sides of her head in agony.

 

“Woah, are you okay? I’m sorry, I took it too far! I didn’t realize things were that bad,” Annie says, “Next round is on me!”

 

“No, no, that’s okay,” Marinette sighs, “I’ve just had a lot on my mind. Concerning Adrien.”

 

“Like what?”

 

She bites her lip, taking in the rest of her surroundings before leaning in to whisper, “I want to confess to him.”

 

“Oh,  _ really _ ?” Annie squeals, before realizing her mistake and lowering her voice, “Er, I mean  _ really _ ? That’s so great, Marinette!”

 

“Yeah, except I’m a total nervous wreck and don’t know how to do it!”

 

By that point, the few customers that are in the restaurant, pass some concerned looks and glances, before awkwardly returning to their conversations.

 

“Maybe we should discuss this somewhere a bit more private,” Annie suggests, pointing to the door.

 

“We can go to my place,” Marinette agrees, relieved to finally no longer be embarrassing herself like this. Just the thought of Adrien catching her outbursts made her cringe a little bit inside. 

 

“I’ll have to catch up with you two later,” Fitz says, looking back at the kitchen, “I have to help my parents all day, since this is usually our busiest time of the week.”

 

“Oh, really? I guess I can come back later and let you know how it goes then,” Annie says, “Alright, let’s head over to your place, Marinette.”

 

\--

 

About an hour later, after pouring out her feelings and concerns for how every possible idea she had could go wrong, Marinette finds herself being pulled along by Annie to seek out some advice yet again.

 

“Not that it went  _ that  _ well last time,” Annie retorts to herself, “But they  _ do  _ have a bit more experience in that department than I do.”

 

“Have you ever had feelings for someone, Annie?” Marinette can’t help but ask.

 

“Nah, not really. I mean, Prince Joel is pretty handsome,” she says with a small little smile, “But I don’t know him that well, so it’s not like I’m in  _ love  _ with him.”

 

Her lips curl inward, hesitating as to how to respond to that. She never really  _ did  _ ask Annie for her opinion on such things.

 

“Do you want to find someone someday?”

 

“Oh, of course!” Annie exclaims, “Someone handsome, kind, well-off and comes to rescue me whenever I’m in trouble!”

 

Nervously, Marinette laughs, not quite sure how to feel about the declaration. Even in her most romantic of daydreams, she never imagined herself in a lifestyle with her beloved where they would be doing most of the work and romancing. From the way Annie described it, that must have been what  _ she  _ wanted, and Marinette couldn’t help but think that was kind of lazy and maybe selfish.

 

But Annie was from being mean or entitled. After all, she  _ was  _ going out of her way to help Marinette with her problem, even if she didn’t have any more of an idea than Marinette did. Being at her side was still a great comfort that Marinette and for that, she didn’t have it in her to really dislike Annie.

 

The two of them end up at the Main Plaza, where a crowd is beginning to form near the water fountain. It appears that a fight of some sorts has started, judging by the number of gasps and shouts that erupt from everyone. At first, Annie seems concerned, but when a loud, “ _ Urah _ !” rips through the crowd, she seems more annoyed than anything.

 

“Wait, don’t tell me that’s who I think it is?” Without questioning her, Marinette follows Annie to the center, and sure enough, Kilbert is locked in combat with Beaux. 

 

And by combat, she meant a game of Ultimate Ninja.

 

“You’re too slow!” Beaux snorts, launching himself forward to attack one of Kilbert’s hands. While bulky and not quick on his feet, Kilbert makes up for it in sheer height, easily able to pull away from Beaux’s range.

 

“How’s  _ that  _ for slow, Beaux-who-totally-ate-turtle-soup?”

 

“What does that even mean?”

 

“That proves my point!”

 

“What are you even talking about?”

 

“ _ What  _ are you two doing?” Annie interrupts, crossing her arms over her chest, “You’re causing a commotion!”

 

“Oh, hey Annie, hey Marinette” Beaux says, only to get his hand tagged by Kilbert, “Hey, that was cheating!”

 

“There is no such thing as cheating when you are the  _ ultimate ninja _ !” Kilbert says, pumping his hand in the air, “All hail King Kilbert, supreme leader of Ulitmate Ninja!”

 

Annie merely looks to Marinette with a long, exhausted face, before returning her attention to the boys. “What are you talking about?”

 

“This  _ fool _ ,” Kilbert explains, pointing a finger at Beaux, “Had the audacity to challenge the Great and Powerful Me, Kilbert, to a game of Ultimate Ninja! And of course, I had no way of being able to turn down the challenge, and so I promptly destroyed him in battle!”

 

“Ugh, do the two of you have to get into a fight  _ everywhere  _ you go?” Annie groans, “It’s kind of embarrassing.”

 

“If you mean the kind of embarrassing because I’m hardly trying while Beaux loses every time, then you would be correct!” Kilbert roars, letting out a hearty laugh. Never in her entire life had Marinette felt awkward quite as she did now, and that was considering all of the slips she made in conversation with Adrien. It’s rather impressive considering the number of instances she knew just off the top of her head.

 

“You know what, it’s probably better if we don’t think about this too hard,” Annie grumbles, “Maybe the two of you can put your differences aside and help Marinette out?”

 

“That sounds kind of boring,” Kilbert pouts, “What sort of rivalry is that? Clearly, we are meant to outdo each other in trying to help our friend.”

 

Rolling his eyes, Beaux asks, “What is it you need help with?”

 

Blood begins to rush to her cheeks. Even the mere prospect of mentioning her desire to confess to Adrien is too much for her, how is she going to actually be able to do it?

 

“Um, we were curious if the two of you had any stories of girls confessing to you. Or how to go about confessing,” Annie says, eyeing Marinette with concern, “Marinette-”

 

“Was just curious!” she finishes quickly, much to Annie’s confusion.

 

“Is this about Adrien?” Beaux asks, “I heard you two were getting closer.”

 

Letting out a sigh, she folds her arms over her chest. Maybe everyone in town  _ did  _ know about her feelings for him. The pressure to confess to him felt greater and greater by the second.

 

“We’re friends now, sort of. It’s easy when we’re just hanging out or talking about music and stuff like that. But you know,” she sighs, “My heart just keeps thumping when there’s silence and I think about how much I want to tell him how I really feel.”

 

As if on cue, Kilbert pipes up, “Well if you challenge him-” 

 

“No,  _ no  _ challenges,” Beaux interrupts, “Guys don’t find that romantic.”

 

“Um,  _ I’m  _ a guy, and I find it  _ very  _ romantic!”

 

As the argument between the two of them breaks out, Marinette catches the smallest glimpse of Annie rolling her eyes and directing her gaze toward HQ.

 

“Forget them, Marinette,” she says, “Let’s see if we can actually talk to Hans this time.”

 

\--

It’s not as if it’s her first time inside of the Committee HQ, but Marinette still feels a bit overwhelmed by the sense of grandiosity the building presents. Everyone is neat, orderly and efficient in their use of time. Even those who look as though they weren’t busy were ready to immediately assist or otherwise busy themselves with tasks, not wanting to waste a single moment. Though a bit intimidated, Marinette finds the environment rather fascinating and one she could easily slip into if she were just a bit more confident.

 

“Hm, hopefully he’s not too busy,” Annie muses, “I wanted to talk to him about this the other time, but we never did find him.”

 

“He’s your supervisor, right?”

 

“Yeah,” she sighs, “He’s pretty normal for the most part, though it’s kind of weird since he’s only like, two years older than me.”

 

“So it’s kind of like having an upperclassman mentor you?” Marinette offers.

 

“Ugh, I don’t want to think about school,” Annie moans, “I already have  _ worrrrk _ !”

 

“Must be a lot of work if you’re all the way out here complaining about it.”

 

Annie jumps a bit as Marinette looks over to study the new figure. The man is a fair skinned blonde dressed in a white uniform, blue cape and black pants. The expression on his face makes Marinette think he would have been better off if he had a cup of coffee first thing that morning.

 

Calming down from her sudden panic, Annie regards the man, “Ugh, and I came all the way out here to ask for your help.”

 

This catches his attention and his expression seems to soften somewhat. “O-Oh. What can I help you with?”

 

“Well, you know how you’re a nervous wreck when it comes to talking to people?”

 

Once again, annoyance flares back up in his face. Marinette tries to gesture to Annie that perhaps she could have phrased that in a better way, but it seems to completely go over her head.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Um, yeah you do. You just came to my place the other day asking me if I thought that you ironed your clothes correctly and if you looked like you  _ weren’t  _ going to embarrass yourself in front of-”

 

“Oh, hey, look at the time, I guess it’s time to eat!”

 

“Don’t dodge the question!”

 

The bickering goes on for a few seconds. Normally, Marinette was content to just let the argument play out, but she feels kind of guilty. It makes her feel like Annie is doing all the work, and that maybe she had been underestimating what Annie was capable of. Mustering up her courage, she thinks of what to say before breaking up the fight.

 

“Um, Mr. Hans, is it?” Marinette asks, “I’m Marinette. The reason we’re here is because we were hoping to get some advice on, uh, getting over anxiety when talking to someone you’re getting to know.”

 

“Oh, yes,” he says, clearing his throat and looking somewhat embarrassed, “You’re the baker’s daughter, right?”

 

“That’s me.”

 

“Well, I don’t know  _ who  _ gave you the impression that I get  _ anxiety _ when talking to people. I mean, nervous, certainly, but all those accounts are greatly exaggerated for the sake of poor taste in humor.”

 

“I mean, it’s  _ not  _ exaggerated, but whatever,” Annie retorts, “What is it that you do to get yourself less nervous?”

 

Averting his gaze, it takes him a moment to answer, almost as though he wanted to avoid answering the question. Still, Annie’s hard, long look finally compels him into saying something. (All the while, Marinette has to wonder just what  _ exactly  _ the relationship between the two of them is really like.)

 

“Don’t make fun of me.”

 

“Why would I?”

 

“I told you  _ not  _ to that one time at the weapons store, and then you totally did!”

 

“I didn’t  _ mean  _ to! It just sort of happened!”

 

He looks to raise his voice, but Marinette is quick to intervene, “I promise neither one of us will make fun of you, Mr. Hans.”

 

This doesn’t appear to make him look any more convinced, but it does calm him down a bit. Looking to her left, she catches Annie giving her a quick wink for her thinking.

 

“Alright,” he sighs, “The truth is, I just make sure to do preparations ahead of time.”

 

“What sort of preparations?”

 

“Well, if I have a big meeting or report to give, I make sure to review my notes and practice how I’m going to present them. I try to make sure everything is concise and accurate, so I’m not rambling on for too long, but I give enough information for context. I also tend to make sure I’m dressed appropriately. I mean, we’re required to wear our uniform while on the job, but we also have to check to make sure they’re spotless. And furthermore-”

 

“That sounds like a lot,” Annie groans, “Besides, isn’t it kind of annoying to have to constantly keep an eye on your uniform, seeing as it’s white?”

 

Once again, Hans takes his time to stare Annie down, making sure he shows just how unimpressed with her comment he is. “Seeing as it’s a part of being an adult, it’s just something you have to accept and learn to deal. Eventually, it becomes second-hand nature to you.”

 

“Oh, so would you give that same advice in regards to girls?”

 

Another pause, though Marinette notes he’s a bit more flustered by this. He tentatively moves to answer the question, “What are you talking about?”

 

“You know, like when your fans confess to you and stuff?”

 

His shoulders hunch a bit, and there’s the slightest trace of pink in his cheeks. Marinette feels a bit bad for the guy, and averts her gaze. She’d need more than two hands to count the number of times she’s felt quite like what he looks right now.

 

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he insists, the next part he mutters under his breath.

 

“What?”

 

“I  _ said _ I’ve never dealt with stuff like that before!”

 

“Oh, really?” Annie asks, “Well, I guess it’s not  _ that  _ surprising if I think about it.”

 

“What’s  _ that  _ supposed to mean?”

 

“It’s just that you seem all fidgety and nervous when you talk about it,” she points out, “But you know, you’re not the only one in that situation.”

 

“Yeah, but I’m in my  _ twenties _ . I get all sorts of comments from my parents about finding a wife. To be honest, it just hasn’t been on my mind because of work, but I’m also worried if I don’t do something, my situation is only going to get worse,” he sighs, “I’m sorry, you two came to  _ me  _ for help, and then you just ended up hearing me ramble about  _ my  _ worries.”

 

“It’s okay,” Marinette says, “It’s actually kind of nice to know someone else who shares my worries. And I did learn a thing or two from you.”

 

“O-Oh,” he says, “I mean, I’m not sure what you could have learned from all that, but I hope it’s something you take to heart. Hopefully things will be easier for all of us.”

 

Folding her arms and pouting, Annie asks, “What’s  _ that  _ supposed to mean?”

 

Choosing not to respond to that, Marinette says, “They will. Something will work out when it’s time. Anyway, it was nice talking to you, Mr. Hans.”

 

“You can just call me Hans. All of my friends do,” he says, offering his hand out for a handshake, “I’m always here if you need something. I’ll see you both later.”

 

Walking back to his office, Marinette turns to leave when she realizes that Annie is still frowning, not having moved from her spot.

 

“Fine,  _ don’t  _ answer my question. I can read between the lines.”

 

“Annie, I don’t think he meant anything  _ bad  _ about it,” Marinette says, “Anyway, how about the two of us go back to your place to work out a plan to share with Liese?”

 

\--

Between the two of them, the girls are able to concoct a basic idea of how to get Marinette to go about confessing her feelings. Recalling their conversation with Fitz, Annie mentions how it would be a good idea for the two of them to go somewhere to hang out, and to just keep it casual at first, while letting the mood build. Somewhere like the Basin, while friendly for dates, was mostly for established couples, so Town Square was the better option.

 

Speaking of Town Square, Marinette mentions, while they didn’t get any meaningful advice from Kilbert and Beaux, she did think about how, in their own way, they were having fun. If Marinette didn’t have any fun with Adrien, and spent all of her time freaking out or panicking, there was no way she was going to be able to confess. If she could do something like initiate a battle with him for fun, and he took it well, it’d certainly lead to her feeling more comfortable opening up to him.

 

Annie, of course, doesn’t look all that convinced, but says she’s glad Marinette found  _ some  _ sort of silver lining in that exchange.

 

Finally, recalling Hans’ words, Marinette decides that writing her feelings out at least once before going to tell Adrien would at least help her materialize something to say with absolute clarity. Even with all the roleplaying she did with Liese, she still struggles and stumbles over words when nervous at times. She doesn’t need to memorize a script, but she doesn’t also  

 

“Perfect,” Annie says, “All you have to do is get your idea approved by Liese and then set the plan in motion.”

 

“I hope it works,” Marinette sighs, “Oh, I’m just nervous thinking about it!”

 

“Listen, it’s all going to work out,” Annie says, patting her shoulder, “You’re one of the coolest, smartest girls around! If he doesn’t see anything great about that, that’s just too bad for him.”

 

Marinette bites her lip. The compliment was nice, but she’s  _ really  _ hoping that Adrien  _ has  _ seen all of that in her. 

 

Saying her goodbyes, she steps into the streets of Lichterzhen, ready to put phase one of her plan into motion.


	3. Synthesis of Camaraderie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has finally confessed to Adrien. Annie hears the truth.

Finishing up the synthesis of an Azuro, Annie wraps the jewel in an orange cloth and sets it down on the table, crossing off the request on the board. Sitting in the chair at her desk, she stares out the window and lets out a soft sigh.

 

“I wonder if something interesting is going to happen today,” she asks, more so to herself.

 

“Don’t say that,” Pepe retorts, having entered from the shop, “It’s been nice and quiet lately, and I don’t really feel like dealing with a headache today.”

 

“Oh, come on. What could possibly happen that would be so bad?”

 

As if on cue, someone slowly and hesitantly knocks on their door. Waiting on the other side is a disillusioned Marinette, looking like she’s trying very hard to smile through pain. Biting her lip, Annie ushers her inside and lets her settle down.

 

“Hey, Marinette, are you okay?”

 

She doesn’t respond immediately, only gesturing to sit down at the desk chair. Finally, having settled for a moment or two, she lets out a soft sigh. “I finally told Adrien how I feel.”

 

“ _ Really _ ?” Annie asks, not able to tame the excitement that rushes through her, “That’s great!”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“So what did he say?”

 

Her gaze falls down to the floor. “He says he only thinks of me as a good friend. That, um, there’s another girl that he’s in love with.”

 

All of her excitement comes crashing down, sort of like the time Kilbert broke Pepe’s hammock (and then  _ she  _ got blamed for it). “Oh. I’m sorry, Marinette,” she says, patting her shoulder, “I know you and Liese worked really hard to work up the nerve.”

 

“I know. It’s just, I feel bad for the both of you. You both took the time to help me with my nervousness, and I couldn’t get . I feel like I kind of wasted your time.”

 

“Well, you know,” Annie says, feeling like a bit of an old fogey for what she was about to say, “There are times where I get really excited about working on a particular synthesis and being able to make the item in question, only for something to go wrong and to get an item I  _ wasn’t  _ looking for.” As a matter of fact, that had been that morning, trying to get the right materials ready for the Azuro, only to completely mess it up and have it turn into Ash. “But, I was actually able to make something else with it, which I needed for a different assignment.”

 

Marinette only regards her in quiet contemplation.

 

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that just because  _ this  _ didn’t turn out the way you wanted, doesn’t mean it amounted to nothing. You finally got your feelings off your chest, and you finally know where you stand with him.”

 

A small smile starts to creep onto her face. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so mopey.”

 

“No, you’re fine! Mope away, you can even cry if you need to,” Annie says cheerfully, “But after that, we’re going to go the Theme Park and have some fun! Fitz and Gillian have wanted to go for a while, and I’m sure Liese will come too if we ask, so we might as well make a trip of it!”

 

While her smile is still present, tears leak from Marinette’s eyes, and she’s quick to wipe them away. But soon, there are just too many of them for her to stop. Annie gives her a spare pillow, and she buries her face until she is done crying. Letting out a sigh, she stands up, stretching her arms over her head, and says, “Let’s go to that Theme Park.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, this might need a bit of an explanation.
> 
> 1\. This fic comes from my "New Friends for Marinette AU" I created back sometime before Chameleon first aired. I consider it a salt AU because of my reaction to Marinette's friends in that episode, especially Alya and her "yOu DiDn'T tHiNk I'd LeT mY bEsT fRiEnD sIt AlL bY hErSeLf, DiD yOu??" nonsense. You can check the AU out here: https://xxxsaltybugxxx.tumblr.com/tagged/marinette-new-friends-au
> 
> 2\. Annie and co are from the game "Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island". The TL;DP is that Annie is a lazy girl that gets sent off to an island by her grandfather to learn alchemy and compete in a tournament. She does it only for the money and the hot prince she wants to marry (she wants to marry up so she doesn't have to work).
> 
> 3\. This is Backwarder salt because I didn't like the way Marinette's friends treated her concerning her crush and feelings. It felt like they were rolling their eyes every other moment in the beginning of the episode, and only cared at the end, when everything seemed to be going well. Also, Alya's advice and approach to the situation hasn't exactly been ideal - just having Marinette go into the situation head on has failed numerous times. I wish she would catch on to this and encourage Marinette to try something else, but nah. I'd rant further on this but I don't feel like doing that in an end note, so moving on.
> 
> 4\. This is a 3 parter. Next time, Marinette will ask for advice concerning confessing, and after that will be an epilogue of sorts, I suppose. I realize that this first chapter was more in Annie's POV, but next time, it'll focus more on Marinette and her thoughts.


End file.
